Data & Scouting Report: Matti Peltola
DC United's Young Finnish Multi-Use player, and why he is destined to impress.
MLS side DC United signed 22 year old Finnish defensive midfielder Matti Peltola prior to the start of the 2024 campaign. Peltola joined the Black-and-Red from Finnish champions, HJK Helsinki where he featured for Klubi during three Veikkausliiga winning seasons. Peltola is under contract with The Eagles until the end of the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028. Today, I hope to take a look at Peltola’s career progression, why his move to DC was a good opportunity for his development, and why I am optimistic for his future as a footballer.
Player Profile
Name: Matti Peltola
Date of Birth: July 3rd, 2002
Place of Birth: Espoo, Finland
Height: 1,85 Meters
Preferred Foot: Right
By The Numbers
The data included in this article is shown from the 2218 minutes that Peltola played in the last 365 days. The reason as to why there are two charts in the article, is because it shows his percentages versus Centre-Backs, and versus Midfielders as well. Although Peltola typically plays as a defensive midfielder, or number 6, his overall numbers are signficantly more well rounded when he is playing as a centre back, in comparison to when he is playing in the defensive midfielder role. In regards to the three categories of stats, Matti is significantly better in the defensive category in comparison to the other ones. His tackles+interceptions have placed him in the 98th percentile, and his blocks have placed him in the 67th percentile. When he is operating as a defesive midfielder, he does well in the clearances and in the percentages of aerials won. Where he excels in the offensive is in shot creating, and expected assisted goals, or xAG.
An important statistic to consider regarding a defensive midfielder’s effectiveness is progressive passing, which measures effectiveness is moving the ball towards the opponents goal. One of the main proponents of a defensive midfielder is creating moments of transition to send the ball up the field to their attacking counterparts.
Peltola has had success in his progressive passes and successful takeons, which has allowed him to truly operate effectively as a defensive midfielder.
The Black and Red
Peltola signed with DC prior to the start of the 2024 MLS campaign, where the club acquired his MLS discovery rights from Minnesota United. He signed a 4 year, Young Designated player contract with the Eagles, with a club option to extend to a fifth year. Matti made his MLS debut in the season opener against rival side New England Revolution.
He spent the season rotating between playing in defensive midfield, and when called upon, center back. As shown in the FBREF charts above, this ability to play multiple positions has worked highly in his favor, and in the favor of DC.
One of the things that he has proved to have done well is he has been incredibly consistent for DC United. During the 2024 campaign, Peltola made 31 appearances across all competitions, and made 24 starts.
Peltola is at a good point in his career to be playing in the MLS. He is at a spot in his career where he is playing in a league where he will get people watching him, and has an opportunity where he can increase his stock for a future move to a bigger European league.
In regards to his international playtime, performing well in the MLS could make him a regular in the Huuhkajat. At the time of this writing, Matti has made 13 appearances for Finland’s senior national team. Former Huuhkajat boss Markku Kanerva called Peltola into the senior national team for the first time in January 2023.
Will new Finland boss Jacob Friis be high on Peltola? It all depends on how he performs in the earliest phases of the season for DC United. The Huuhkajat have an important phase of games in the early parts of the year, as they seek to make history and qualify for the countries first ever Fifa World Cup appearance in 2026. Friis and Finland want to come swinging into the 2026 World Cup Qualifying campaign, and Peltola must prove himself as a weapon worthy of adding to Friis’s Finnish arsenal of full time tools.
This is a very important time in the career of Matti Peltola. With the MLS becoming a league where young talent can come and show off and then be sold to large clubs for copious amounts of money, Peltola needs to take advantage of that as soon as possible, and make clubs and his national team notice him. Having made his professional debut with the top team in Finland at the age of 17, and earning a move to the MLS as a designated player at the age of 21 has shown that he is already on an upward trajectory. With a long career in front of him, I fully expect him to reach some of the highest levels of our sport.